Damn
by xMegh
Summary: Jaime, Steve's little sister, has just become a Senior in high school. How does the gang react when they find out she's become involved with the ringleader of the Socs? And why does Soda seem more upset about it than everybody else?
1. Introductions

A/N: yes, i know i haven't been on in FOREVER. I've been busy on other fic forums (look for carminezgirl18 on the hottie gotti forums- i might poswt it here too), and high school sucks. Anyway, i have this fic almost done, just some minor parts to fill in. and i fully understand that the first chapter is short and really sucks, but i promise it'll get better!

Disclaimer: Yeah, like I actually own the outsiders. PUH-LEEEEEEEEZE!

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I walked into Room 105 around nine o'clock, so the class was nearly half over already. When I turned the knob and walked in, the eyes of every student turned from their teacher toward me. I felt isolated and nervous, especially when two Socs smirked at each other and winked, looking down at my poodle skirt.

Mr. O'Keefe leaned on his desk as I handed him the blue slip of paper. Two-Bit threw a spitball towards the chalkboard, narrowly missing my head. I whirled around, glaring at him. He waved and contorted his face, forcing me to giggle.

Mr. O'Keefe, having finished reading the note, placed the slip on his desk and announced to the class, "Okay, guys, we've got a new student. This is Jaime Randle- got promoted from Junior to Senior."

Two-Bit mouthed to me, "Smartass."

"I expect you all to make Jaime feel welcome around here. But," Mr. O'Keefe continued, "don't think that the special circumstances are going to get you all out of your Chapter 3 test."

Monotonous groans emanated from the students.

"Well, Jaime," Mr. O'Keefe said with a smile, "You can sit anywhere you'd like. I heard you already have the knowledge of Chapter 3, so you have your choice of whether or not you want to take the test."

I shrugged. "I guess I could try it." I walked over and took a seat between Two-Bit and this Soc with a semi-Beatle haircut.

"Hey baby," Two-Bit winked.

I giggled. "Shove off, Two-Bit."

He smirked. "Listen, Darry told me that he wants you straight home after work, okay?"

I shrugged. "You think he'd let me go to Buck's party?"

Two-Bit looked at me like I had lost it. "Are you nuts?"

"Well I don't want to stay home again. All Darry ever has me and Pone do is study, and we never go out or do anything. I was gonna bring him to Buck's to loosen up. Buck's parties are a blast."

He lowered his gaze. "And how would you know what Merril's parties are like, Jay?"

I shrugged innocently.

Mr. O'Keefe passed back the tests. I whispered to Two-Bit, "Well I have to do something with Pony. Sure, he talks to everybody, but he hasn't done anything or gone out of the house with anyone since after the trial."

Two-Bit nodded his head in understanding.

Mr. O'Keefe announced that we were allowed to begin. I began writing down all my answers, since I already knew all of the material. I just couldn't help but notice that the Soc next to me glanced at me repeatedly during the exam.

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	2. Console Me

A/N: Awww... you guys are too sweet. i heart my reviewers! k, i had most of this written already and just felt like posting it to get it out of the way because i have so many other things in the works. hope you like it!

Disclaimer: nope. still don't own em.

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After the third attempt, I finally was able to yank open the lock on my locker, and a piece of paper came flying out onto the floor. Odd- I didn't remember placing any lose papers there.

Upon picking it up, I realized it had been the algebra test that I had taken that morning, only it wasn't mine. The name Randy Adderson was written on the top, and a large red F was circled on the front. I flipped it over.

Jaime-

I studied for this test for a week. You caught me so off-guard that I couldn't concentrate. You seem real nice, and I want to get to know you a little better. What do you say? If you want, meet me at the Nightly Double at seven.

Randy

Two-Bit threw his arm over my shoulder. "You ready to head home, kid?"

I rolled my shoulders back to make him release me. "I gotta go to work, Two-Bit. Tell Dar I'll be home by six."

"Sure thing, shorty," he replied, walking in the other direction.

I walked to the dinner on the corner of Picket and Sutton. Nothing really eventful happened, unless you call getting straw wrappers blown at you by Curly Shepard "eventful". I was ecstatic when I changed out of my uniform, my boss handed me my paycheck, and I was able to start walking to the Curtis' house.

I stopped short. Soda was walking down towards the park, his fists jammed in his pockets, his shoulders shaking. Was he crying? I jogged to the end of the block and crossed the street to meet him by the fountain.

"Sodapop, are you alright?"

He looked up at me suddenly, tears flowing over the brim of his eyes. "Yeah, Jaime, I'm fine."

I grabbed his shoulders and sat him down on the edge of the pool. He sat down with a thud and I knelt beside him. "You don't seem fine."

"It's about Sandy," he choked.

I rolled my eyes. How many times had I expressed to him after she moved to Florida that she wasn't worth his time? Apparently those speeches made little difference to him.

"What happened now?" I questioned, trying to keep the sarcasm out of my voice, but failing miserably. I sat down beside him, aggravated.

He shoved his hand in his jacket pocket and pulled out a crumpled envelope addressed to Florida with a seal in a corner that read "return to sender". Upon further examination, I saw that it had not even been opened. I rolled my eyes, wondering why this bothered him so much, but then I saw the tears that were escaping his eyes.

I gently brought his head down on my shoulder and let him cry it out. "Shh, Soda. Come here, baby, it's okay."

He wiped his eyes. "I really thought she loved me, Jaime. But it wasn't my baby. It wasn't my baby," he sobbed into my neck. "I told her everything would be okay, I told her I would marry her, I told her not to worry, that it would all be alright. And she didn't even read the letter. I thought she loved me."

I hugged him and he clung to the sleeves of my sweatshirt. Sighing, I knew I had to tell him the truth. "Sodapop, it's my fault."

He looked up at me, his eyes red and puffy. "What do you mean?"

I rubbed my hands up and down my arms. "Let's just say that I had a little, um, _conversation_, with Sandy before she left."

Soda now pushed himself up and looked at me, nearly furious, and it scared me because I had never seen him so serious. "Jaime, what did you do?"

I shrugged and said casually, "Nothing! I just explained to her, quite calmly, that if she got in contact with you again, I would hunt her down and rip her eyeballs out of her sockets, break both of her legs, and torture her in ways so beyond her imagination that she would need therapy."

He pushed my shoulder back. "Jaime!"

I pushed him back down and began explaining, "Look, Soda, I'm sorry, but she took advantage of you. She was carrying another guy's baby and she broke your heart. No woman is worth your tears," I whispered, smudging a falling tear, "and the one who is won't make you cry. Thinking about a little whore like that, who caused you so much pain already, is just a waste of your time."

He grinned. "I guess you're right."

"Sodapop, I'm always right."

He lovingly punched my shoulder. "Well you don't have to rub it in."

I stopped as I examined the envelope once more, noticing that the "return to sender" seal was over a month old. "Sodapop, when did you get this?"

"Two weeks ago," he said, still shakily.

I laughed cheaply to myself. Two weeks ago- two weeks ago Dally and Johnny had died. Two weeks ago, Ponyboy was writhing in his bed, insisting how he hated baloney. Two weeks ago, I saw my brother harden all the more and turn his back to everyone but Soda. Two weeks ago had been a different world.

"Then why are you…" I trailed off, wondering.

He shook his head. "Yeah, Pony and Darry cornered me about it one night, but I've just been feeling alone the past few days. Thinking on this just made it worse. What did I do wrong?"

I leaned towards him as his unshed tears resurfaced. "Sweetheart, you didn't do anything wrong, okay? Besides, have you forgotten something?" I cupped his face in my hands. "You're not alone. You've always got me."

He smiled and kissed my cheek. "Thanks, Jaime." I gasped before I came back to earth. Even if I had known Soda my entire life, no one can recover from the slightest touch of him instantly.

I ruffled his hair. "No problem, Sodapop. Now, come on. I've got to hurry and get this to Darry," I said, patting the envelope in my pocket so that the coins within it jingled.

He put his arm around my shoulder and we walked the few blocks to the Curtis house. Of course, it was loud as usual- we could hear the general racket of everyone inside even though we were half a block away, but we were shocked to find that it was only Darry, sitting at the dining room table paying bills, and Ponyboy, watching television. I hopped over the arm of the couch onto Ponyboy's lap. Pony got the wind knocked out of him, but once he got used to my weight on him, he smiled and embraced me warmly. Sodapop threw his jacket to the floor and plopped down beside his brother.

I got up and walked over to Darry. "Hey, Superman," I said, handing him my paycheck envelope. I winked. It was the least I could possibly do. Steve and I both gave Darry our paychecks, since he did more for us than our own father. In essence, Darry was like a father to me. He made me stay inside with Ponyboy most of the time and study, he made sure he was the one who saw my report card, and he was the one who I had to deal with if I screwed up. He really didn't have only two kids to take care of. We all ate there, slept there, and took refuge there. He really had five kids. Sure, I had a father, but Darry was my Dad.

I used to give him every cent after his parents died, but he must have thought it was pity because he told me to stop and keep most for myself. I really could've cared less about the money, since one time or another my father would cross the line and get Steve or me annoyed and give us money the next morning.

He smiled and gave my shoulder a playful punch. "Thanks, Jaime."

I gave him a hug from behind. "No problem, Darry."

He smirked. "Now hand it over."

I winced. I had hoped he'd forgotten.

Ponyboy laughed and motioned to a folded piece of paper on the coffee table and a torn envelope beside it. "He saw mine already, Jaime. He knows you have yours. It's not worth it, just give it to him."

I let my shoulders fall and pulled out my report card from my back pocket, sitting down between Pony and Soda resignedly.

He sat down in his armchair and looked it over. "How did you go from an A to an A minus in English, but you got an A plus on your progress report?"

I explained, "I missed a few assignments that week when Ponyboy got sick, Dar." I didn't have the heart to say that I missed work because I had to attend Johnny and Dally's funerals, and Darry knew it.

Just the thought of it made me sick and Ponyboy held me tighter. The images wouldn't leave my mind: Proud Dallas was lying in a casket, his numerous bullet wounds visible beneath his shirt and the same satisfied smirk still etched on his face. Johnny's funeral was worse if it was possible- he looked as if someone threw him into his casket, his horrifyingly horrible burns clearly visible and his hair not even greased. Steve had played with it as he knelt down at the edge of Johnny's casket. "Dally always said you could never keep that hair back," he whispered in a broken voice so that only me and Sodapop heard him. "That's what you get, then, eh? That's what you get."

Darry gave a solemn nod of understanding, though he still didn't seem that pleased. I sighed and leaned my head against Pony's shoulder, watching whatever it was that was on TV. "You got a C in Physics?" Darry shouted, outraged, shooting out of his chair and letting the report fall to the floor.

I cringed and moved closer to Pony.

Ponyboy patted my shoulder. "Sorry, kid," he whispered, urging me to stand up.

Darry crossed his arms over his chest and angled his face upwards, not needing to say anything, just emphasizing that I needed to explain myself, and fast. "Darry, that's a college course! I only got promoted to senior today, and that's still my junior card. Give me a break, yeah?"

Ponyboy stuffed his face in a pillow to keep from laughing. He knew as well as I did that Darry would never go for that excuse. I elbowed him roughly in the ribs.

"That's the point, Jaime! You're a senior now, even if you are only sixteen, and if you're smart enough to be promoted, you should be smart enough to take control of this course! Why they even bothered promoting you with a C, I have no idea," he hollered, and continued rambling about my irresponsibility.

I interrupted, "They said I wasn't 'being challenged enough' in the majority of my courses. Physics wasn't included because I was already in advanced placement for that. Come on, Darry."

Ponyboy was about to stick up for me, but Darry pointed his finger at him before a word could escape his lips. "You're in the same boat as Jaime right now, Ponyboy Michael, so I wouldn't dare open your mouth if I were you."

Pony sat back and just watched me take it then.

Sodapop gave Darry an evilly harsh glare. I had never seen Sodapop look that angry, save the time he reminded Darry that he and Pony weren't to fight anymore, and, upon realization, he was probably giving Darry the same reminder about me now. Darry took one glance at him and apparently took it to heart because his reddened face returned to its normal shade and his muscles became less tense, puffing out a heavy sigh.

Darry sighed heavily. "But I guess you're trying your hardest, and that's what matters." Pony and I both let our jaws drop and I fell backwards onto the cushion beside him. Soda smiled in satisfaction.

He smiled at our reactions and scanned over the rest. "Other than that, Jaime, it's a fantastic report card, and I'm really proud of you."

I gave a hopeful smile. "Does that mean that I can go out to the Nightly Double tonight, Darry?" He didn't look convinced and I pouted out my lower lip.

"Do you have any homework this weekend?"

I shook my head.

"Any pending projects?"

I shook my head again.

"Are you just saying you're going to go to the movies and go to the drag race with Steve and Soda like last time?"

I shuddered at the memory and shook my head once more, as did Soda. I giggled. "Darry, you seriously think that Steve would bring me to another drag race after what happened last time?"

Darry chuckled. "I guess not. Who are you going to the movies with?"

I shook my head in an automatic reaction, but then responded, "Can't I just go by myself and have a good time either way?" I was just glad that I didn't have to tell him the truth right then. Then I shrugged, trying to make a legitimate excuse that would throw him off. "But if the guys want to come, they're welcome to." I knew that if the guys did decide to join me, I could and go with Cherry when I "ran into her", but of course I knew where I'd be later on- in the smooth leather seat of Randy Adderson's Mustang.

"Fine," Darry said, releasing the tension in his shoulders, continuing to scribble across the checks.

I got up and hugged him tightly. "Oh, thank you thank you thank you, Dar!" I had never dared to lie to Darry before, and to my surprise, it was easier than I had thought it would be.

Darry motioned that I was cutting off his air. I recoiled before I actually did.

I looked to Ponyboy, but he shrugged. "I don't feel like going out tonight."

Soda put up his hand. "I actually _am_ going to the drag race." When Darry scowled at him, Soda said defensively, "But I'm not bringing Jaime with me, I swear." He placed one hand over his chest and the other up in the air. Then he did an impression of Darry's speech. "Sodapop, she's too young, and she could get hurt. You know how I hate the idea of you going enough, so Jaime is out of the question."

Darry nodded, unaware or uncaring that Soda was poking fun at him. Maybe he was just used to it by now.

Darry then turned back to me. "You had better watch your back, Jaime. Those Brumly boys are gonna be on your tail after your… um… encounter at the race. Don't you forget that-"

Sodapop interrupted him. "That the Brumly boys are perverts. She knows it already, Darry."

Darry nodded. "And-"

Ponyboy leaned back. "And they'll stop at nothing to get a girl."

Darry chuckled, but then continued. "And-"

I rolled my eyes again and finished, "And they'll do whatever they have to so they can get in my pants, so I should avoid them as much as I possibly can. Come on, Darry. If you've said it enough for Ponyboy to remember it, I think I've got the message."

Ponyboy, realizing the insult about a minute too late, whacked me with a pillow. I elbowed him in return. He hit me twice as hard with the pillow again, and I tackled him to the floor. He fought back, but not hard enough. He had me in a headlock, but with one swift kick to the shin, he released me and I took his neck in my arms and forced him into the carpet, twisting his arm behind his back as I forced his face into the rug.

"Cool it, you two," Darry said from his spot in his chair, not really using the tone that meant he was serious, so we ignored it.

"Holler uncle," I demanded.

"You wish," Ponyboy mumbled.

I pressed harder, digging my knees into the back of his thighs. "What was that?" I questioned. "I didn't quite hear you."

"No way," Pony insisted, and I applied more pressure.

"Are you sure that's your answer?" I murmured. I twisted his arm further and bent his thumb backwards.

"Uncle!" he finally cried.

I got up and threw my arms up in success. Sodapop shook his head and whacked us both with another pillow, muttering "Moron," to himself as he looked at me. I straddled him and pressed his shoulders into the couch cushion, kneeing him gently in the stomach. He had me down on the floor in an instant. We wrestled until he had his legs across my waist, my shoulders pinned to the floor beneath his hands. "Cry uncle," he demanded.

"Enough, all of you," Darry ordered. Sodapop let me go and helped me out, but had a victorious smile plastered on his face. I scrunched my nose at him and he stuck out his tongue. I smacked him in the back of his head and he was about to retaliate when Darry grunted, "Hey, I meant it. Quit it."

Sodapop and I obeyed Darry for about three seconds before we tackled each other into the couch. Darry stood up, and now we knew we were in for it. He grabbed us both by the collars of our shirts and separated us. Then he slung his arm around my shoulder and dragged me into the hall. "C'mon, Jay. Are you gonna eat before you leave?"

I shrugged. "Sure. What are we having?"

Darry shrugged as well as he sat back down and continued writing out checks. "I don't know. Ask Two-Bit."

I laughed. "Why would I ask Two-Bit?"

Darry said, like it was obvious, "Because he's cooking."

"What?" I screamed. I yanked on Darry's sleeve. "But Darry, I want to live!" He clapped me on the shoulder and laughed, not realizing that I was completely serious. I insisted, "Darry, do you want your entire house burnt to the ground? Dear God, think of the consequences!"

Two-Bit came in from the kitchen, and I clamped my hand over my mouth to stop guffawing. He was in one of Mrs. Curtis' old frilly laced aprons and had his hands inside over mitts with apples and butterflies printed all over them. I nearly choked at the sight of such a hoodlum looking like a pansy TV-mother. "It just so happens, Ms. Randle," Two-Bit said, imitating a high-pitched female voice, "that I am an excellent cook!"

I followed him back into the kitchen. "Then what are you making?"

He pointed to several pots on the stove and opened the oven slightly, now exaggerating his speech with a heavy Italian accent. "Today, we have your pasta primavera, some spinach alfredo sauce, and your marinated chicken fingers for the Mr. Ponyboy." He pinched three fingertips together, kissed the point where they met, and smiled.

I pointed to the temperature switch. "Well, Two-Bit, it might help if you actually had the stove on."

He blushed slightly and turned all the knobs to the highest setting.

I hopped onto the counter, swiping his switchblade out of his back pocket and began polishing it. When you can inconspicuously snatch things from the most notorious pick-pocket in the city, that is saying something. "So how come you're stooping so low as to cook tonight?"

"What's wrong with that?" Two-Bit questioned, turning around and only then noticing that I had snatched his knife.

"It's a Friday night, Bits. You'd normally be out carousing by now. What- is the blonde-bedding business slowing down?"

"Oh yeah," he joked. "It's _real_ slow.

I smirked and raised one eyebrow. "Wow. Two-Bit, I'm impressed. You've brought it down from six whores to only five a night? Good job!"

He grabbed my legs and yanked me off the counter, grabbing his blade back in the process. "Smartass," he grumbled.

I kissed his nose playfully. "I learn from the best."

He swatted me away and smacked my ass with a spare oven mitt. "Yeah, yeah, yeah," he said begrudgingly.

I pointed to the thin stream of smoke that was slowly seeping through the opening at the top of the oven door and up to the smoke detector on the ceiling. "Does that mean that it's ready?" I said as the alarm started beeping.

He chuckled sarcastically as Darry ran in. "What the hell-" he muttered upon surveying the scene, but then glared in Two-Bit's direction.

I could understand Darry's nervousness. Ever since the fire that Johnny and Pony were caught in, all the gang had smoke detectors put in their houses. We didn't want to go through a repeat of Johnny.

Ponyboy and Soda strolled in and sat down, much more calm. Pony mumbled under his breath to me, "You can tell it's done when you smell smoke."

Darry pulled out a chair as Two-Bit poured the contents of the pots onto five plates. "What time are you leaving, Jay?"

I grabbed Pony's wrist and looked at his watch. "Shit."

Darry knocked my jaw up slightly. "Hey, watch your language."

"I'd better go now. I'm gonna be late. Bye, guys."

"I thought you said you were gonna eat before you left," Darry said.

I nodded. "You're right." I grabbed a roll out of Sodapop's hand and took a small bite out of it. "I'm done. Bye."

"Okay. Have a good time, Jay," Darry said as I hugged his neck from behind.

"Yeah- don't do anything I wouldn't do, baby girl," Two-Bit murmured.

"Okay, so that leaves- nothing," Sodapop commented.

"All right, then don't do anything stupid, kid," Two-Bit shouted.

I shrugged innocently. "Who- me? Why, Two-Bit, I'm a little angel!"

He nearly choked on his pasta. "Yeah, are the horns just keeping your halo straight?"

I bolted for an exit, but Darry whistled and called me back. "Jamie Theresa-Lynn Randle, you'd better not even think about leaving this house without a jacket."

"I didn't bring one," I whined.

"Take mine, Jay. It's on the couch," Pony called.

I jumped onto the couch, grabbed the leather jacket, and slammed the door behind me. "Bye!"

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	3. Be My Everything

Disclaimer+looks inside Louis Vuitton purse+ I don't seee---- nope, I don't think i own em

A/N: MY APOLOGIES! i'm so sorry- school, other fics on the hottiegotti boards, like you would never imagine. Anyways, here's chapter 3. Hope you like.

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I'd met Randy by the bleachers at the theatre and he'd led me to his car. Cherry and her boyfriend, David, were in the front seat. They were of no concern to us, Randy and I simply talked the entire time. Despite what Two-Bit had told me about him in the past, he wasn't a bad guy. He was actually very respectable and I seemed to be falling harder for him than I probably should have been at the moment.

Eventually we decided that we needed a few drinks and I volunteered to go get them after Randy gave me a quarter. Cherry leaned her seat forward so I could get out, but a few moments later I heard the door slam and Cherry coming after me. "Hey there, Jaime."

I smiled back. "Cherry! How's it going?"

Cherry clutched her stomach and turned to the side, slightly pale. I grabbed her arms and held her fast. "Cherry, are you okay?"

She gasped as the pain subsided. "God, Jaime, you have to swear to me that you won't tell a soul."

I would have smiled if I hadn't seen the terror in her eyes. "I swear."

"Did Ponyboy ever tell you what I said to him the night they killed Bob?"

I sat her down on a nearby cement stop and responded, "I didn't really get to talk to him much that night."

She grinned in understanding. "No, I guess you didn't. Well, I knew that if I ever saw Dally again, I'd fall in love with him. When I saw him at the Dingo, he started talking dirty to me again, and I told him to go to hell. Then he kissed me, and I just…" She looked around nervously, making sure that no one was listening. "I did something I never thought that I would do."

"You slept with him?" I said it like some casual thing and she paled.

She placed a hand over my mouth and nodded violently. "And I was," she lowered her voice even more, "supposed to get my period last week. I didn't take a test yet, but I can feel it. I'm so scared, Jaime."

I wrapped an arm around her shoulder and we both stood, walking towards the wafting smell of popcorn. "It's okay, Cherry. It'll be okay."

She shook her head. "I'm not ready for this."

I suggested, "Could it be Bob's or are you sure it's Dally's?"

"It has to be Dally's. It couldn't be Bob's." She wiped a tear from her eye. "I couldn't bear to get rid of it. That would kill me. Even if he would've taken responsibility, he can't really now."

I shook my head, driving the thought out completely. "You can't worry about that. But does David know?"

She shook her head once more and her eyes widened. "No. I can't tell him. I can never tell him."

I tried to make her laugh. "I hate to tell you this, Cherry, but he will find out eventually."

She gave a cheap laugh, but then she became straight-faced again. "I was hoping that one of the guys would be able to tell me what to do, but I read that article. I know what Darry goes through, and I don't want to put anything more on him. But if my parents find out, they'll probably disown me."

I laughed to myself. Would they really disown her when she was this perfect little angel who looked perfect, acted perfect, got perfect grades, and after one mistake they would let her go?

No, my subconscious answered, but this mistake might be too big to just be a small black dot on her record.

"You want me to talk to them?" I offered.

She looked at me strangely. "You want to talk to my parents?"

I giggled as we entered the concession stand and bought four cokes. "No, I mean the boys."

She held my hands in her own. "Oh, would you? Really?"

I nodded and we kissed each other's cheeks. "Sure. But do you want to make sure you in fact are pregnant first?" She nodded and I said, "Okay, well then tomorrow, I'll come by and get you and we'll handle it, okay?"

She smiled through her unshed tears. "Okay."

"Now come on, let's go back."

After a while, we found the car and I slipped into the backseat next to Randy. Cherry began to shiver under David's arm, but whether it was from fear or sickness I couldn't say.

David appeared concerned. "Cherry, you okay, babe?"

She shook her head as she shuddered. "No, David. I really feel sick. Can you bring me home?"

He took off his jacket and wrapped it around her shoulders. "Sure. Randy, Jaime, I'll see you tomorrow."

I nodded and waved to Cherry, mouthing, "Tomorrow, two o'clock."

She nodded and David walked her home.

I nestled against Randy so he couldn't see my expression. "Is she okay?"

I nodded, curling my fingers into the hem of Randy's wine-colored sweater. He swallowed to muffle an odd noise so I wouldn't hear him, but I still did. I leaned in and rested my head in the nape of his neck. He picked up on the hint and wrapped his arm around my shoulder. I smiled, inclining into his touch. But then I sat up and looked at him directly, his brown eyes hypnotizing as I willed him to look at me.

"Why did you ask me out tonight?"

He chuckled. "Why? What do you mean 'why'?"

"You barely even know my name, and you just suddenly asked me to spend time with you. Why?"

He shrugged and chuckled, "I thought that the idea of spending time with someone meant getting to know them better."

"Why me?" I whispered.

He began slowly stroking my arm up and down with his index finger. "You're beautiful… intelligent… funny… charismatic… perfect…"

I froze and looked shyly into his eyes. "Did you say I was beautiful?"

That was when I saw it- there was a glint in his eyes. It wasn't mischievous, but it was just like his smile- full of something else, something that was dangerous if it wasn't instantly stopped.

Before I had a chance to think about it, Randy leaned in and kissed me, ravishing my lips so hard I thought they might bruise on contact. It would have seemed he was being overly forceful if I hadn't wanted it just as badly. But to my surprise, I kissed him back. His hands laced together behind my neck, pulling me in even deeper. He snaked inside my mouth, eagerly tasting me. I moaned, and he took that as encouragement, pushing me slightly backwards.

He panted once we separated. "Does that answer your question, kid?" he panted breathlessly.

I smiled and leaned in again, taking control of his lips. With the slight gap between us, I tugged at his shirt collar, resting my palms against his chest and letting them slowly fall until my fingertips were tracing the edge of his pants, which forced more than his eyes to bulge. Insistent on teasing him more, I pressed my hips into his, forcing him to harden.

When he slightly pulled away to breathe, I instantly fell down to his throat, softly biting, kissing, doing anything I could to drive him as crazy as he had made me. I was shocked that even the strong taste of English Leather didn't hinder me. He could probably feel me smiling as he gasped and groaned.

He, not able to take it any longer, grabbed the back of my head and once again pulled me to meet his mouth. I gasped in turn as he gingerly traced a path from my lips to the side of my neck. My hands against his head pushed him into my skin, and I whimpered as he weakened me. Being as tough as I normally am, I had never really felt weak. Around my father, no one ever could be weak, or you'd without doubt get belted. I was amazed to discover that one could be weak at times without there being consequences.

"Hmm… God, Randy…"

"Jaime…" He kissed the side of my neck so harshly that I inhaled sharply. I pulled his head up and attacked his mouth, and his tongue almost immediately sprang between my lips and wrestled with mine. My hands fell to his waist and I blindly worked at his belt buckle, unfastening it and releasing him from his prison, as he reached over and stripped me of my shirt.

A familiar voice met my ears. "Jaime?"

I instantly pulled away and I began to shiver, feeling cold and pale. When my eyes opened, I knew that my worst fear had been realized. There it was: right outside the Mustang's window I saw him. His eyes were stormy gray and I was scared- I rarely saw him like that.

Two-Bit.

* * *

lol dun dun dun! feed the review button! i already have the next chapter completely written out- i wanna see if you guys want me to continue this or not 


	4. What You've Come to Realize

Disclaimer- I told you before, honey. I don't own them, okay? Stop with the goddamn interrogation!

A/N: lol since you guys asked so nicely, i figured that i could post the next chapter since it was already written.

* * *

Randy had still tried to toy with my mouth and when I didn't reciprocate it, he went down to my neck again. He obviously hadn't noticed that anything had happened as he came back for my mouth, smiling. "What's the matter? Don't stop, baby… God, Jaime, don't stop…" When he didn't feel me respond to his plea, he looked up and followed my gaze, glaring fiercely at what he saw.

Two-Bittook a long drag on his cigarette. "Jaime, git outta tha car, now."

"But Two-B-"

He let the smoke slide from between his lips, flipping his collar up. "I said git outta tha damn car, Jaime!"

"Fuck off, grease-ball," Randy seethed at Two-Bit, turning around to taste my neck again and yanked up the edge of my skirt.

I backed away slowly, feeling blood rush beneath the skin where his mouth had just been, knowing I had been marked. "Randy, I'd better go."

Randy gazed at me, anger, confusion, and shock gingerly etched over his face. "Jaime, what-"

"Just call me later, Randy," I said as I pulled my shirt back over my head.

Randy cleared his throat, saying softly, "Okay."

I kissed him delicately, wanting to back away, but his hands on my hips made me go to him again and again, more passionately than before. Randy worked his palms over me and-

"Jaime Theresa-Lynn, I said _now_!" Two-Bit was now furious.

I pushed the shotgun seat forward and walked out, shutting the door behind me. I saw Randy lean back, exasperated, slamming his fist down on the seat beside him.

"What was that for, Two-Bit?" I growled, outraged, as we walked past the concession stand to the theatre exit.

Two-Bit cocked an eyebrow and bit his lower lip to keep from exploding. "We'll talk about it at Darry, Pony, and Soda's."

I snapped around. "No, Two-Bit, we'll talk about it now! Why did you do that to me? In front of him!"

He threw his cigarette to the ground and stomped on it. "What the hell were you thinking, Jaime? He's a Goddamn Soc for Christ's sake!"

"Two-Bit, how long had you been standing there?"

"Kid, let's just say that it was long enough to know that you'd be coming home late and I wouldn't be able to joke about your virginity in the morning."

I knew he was right, but wouldn't dare say it. "You didn't need to embarrass me like that! I'm sixteen, Two-Bit! I can take care of myself."

He started screaming, and I had never heard him sound so much like an over-protective brother than he did just then. "That's my point, Jaime! You're only sixteen! You wanna prove you're mature? You think you're going to prove that to anyone by spending the night in the backseat of a Mustang with Randy Adderson? Mr. Super-Soc! Are you out of your mind?"

"What the hell is wrong with you, Two-Bit?" I asked, annoyed by now. "You've never been so 'concerned for my well-being,'" and I shrugged my two fingers to emphasize the quote. "I mean, you've never been this serious, or this angry."

His eyes were hateful. "I think I have a fucking right to be angry, JT! You were taking off his pants, for Christ's sake! I don't want to even think about what would've happened if I hadn't come along!" He stared at me furiously for a moment and I was about to question it until I realized that he was looking at the branding Randy'd made on my neck.

I snapped back. "What I do with my boyfriend is none-"

He stopped short. "Boyfriend? Boyfriend! Do you mean to tell me that you're 'going steady,'" he said, having difficulty with the term, having used it so little himself, "with Randy Adderson? Baby girl, I think you've lost it."

"Yeah, so what? I don't give a hang about you and the way you bed your blondes, so just lay off with this, okay, Two-Bit? Why do you care so much anyway?" I turned around and continued down the block.

"Because he's a Soc, Jay!"

I rolled my eyes. "Just shut up, Two-Bit. I don't want to talk about it anymore. It ain't none of your damned business."

"Oh, so you demand to know the causes for my actions, but when it comes to me knowing yours, it's none of my damned business? You got some nerve, kid." He began walking again, repeatedly smacking his palm into his forehead. "What the hell has possessed you? What were you thinking? What's your brother gonna say?"

We were both silent for a moment.

He couldn't tell Steve. Steve would go ballistic.

So would Darry.

Maybe even Ponyboy.

Sodapop…

My voice was creaky when I actually spoke. "Two-Bit, please don't tell anyone," I begged.

He chuckled sarcastically. "Oh, so it's not an issue if I've got a problem with this, but it is when your brother enters the picture? Oh, I get it now." He continued to chuckle and shake his head. "You really do have some nerve, baby girl. You're a piece of work."

I grasped onto a leather strap on the sleeve of his jacket. "Two-Bit, you can't tell him. Come on- please."

He chuckled again. "Are you shittin' me? If I don't tell him and he finds out, I won't be able to walk for weeks! He'll break both my legs- and crack open my skull for kicks if I'm lucky!"

"If you don't tell him, he won't find out!"

"Like that'll work! Last time I tried that idea, Ponyboy was sick and delirious for half a week!" Knowing he was right, I didn't want to say anything, so Two-Bit just walked on, contemplating the situation. Then he shook his head. "I can tell you that I ain't itchin' to tell your big brother this and get the living tar beat out of me."

"What would he do to you? You didn't do nothing."

Two-Bit sighed cheaply. "Yeah, but knowing your brother, I probably could have done something to stop you." Then he lit up again and muttered, "I need to talk to Darry."

"Okay, Two-Bit, let me put it this way- if you tell anybody, I will _insure_ that you will never have children."

By the expression on his face, I knew he was about to laugh if it were not so serious. "Take it easy, sweetheart," he said with all the sarcasm he could muster. "Y'know, you're such a Randle- tough, stubborn, and angry."

I grinned and cocked up an eyebrow as he had taught me. "Thanks."

"Not necessarily a compliment this time, sweet cheeks. But I still don't get it, Jaime. He's Randy Adderson!"

"So?" I continued to walk, even as he stopped.

"So?" he repeated incredulously, nearly growling. He grabbed my wrist to stop me too. "Jaime, he's the reason Johnny and Dally are-"

That was a far as he had gotten. The complex emotions rushing through my veins shot my arm out and my hand made an imprint across his face.

We were both frozen and speechless. I stared at his cheek, then at my hand, then back at his cheek. The wound he had touched was still fresh- I wasn't ready for that. I still had a hard time admitting that they had died. Yet what he said made me think- based on what Pony had eventually told us about him and Johnny getting jumped, what Two-Bit had just said was true. But then again, Two-Bit should have known that I had been close with all the boys, especially Johnny, and I still had a hard time coming to grips with his death.

But he always does things impulsively. He's kind of scatterbrained. Guess he can't help it.

With shock I realized that his lip had begun to bleed. I fell into his arms, sobbing into the leather of his jacket. "I'm sorry, Two-Bit. I'm so sorry."

He ran his hand over my hair, whispering softly to stop my tears, while still rubbing his cheek where I had hit him. "It is okay, Jaime. I know. It's my fault. I'm sorry. Just don't cry now, okay kid?"

There was a honk behind us, forcing me to turn around.

"You two need a ride?"

I wiped my eye dry, recognizing the voice. "Hey Darry."

Two-Bit swung his arm over my neck protectively, but at that moment I wanted noting more than to roll my shoulders back and get him off of me I was so angry. "Yeah, we were just heading over to your place."

He hitched a thumb over his shoulder. "Hop in the back. Pony called and asked me to pick him up from the diner, though. Y'all mind?"

I sniffed and wiped my other eye. "Nope."

Darry pointed at Two-Bit's hand as he pulled back onto the street. "Toss the cancer stick, Two-Bit." Two-Bit complied and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Have you seen Steve, Dar?"

"No, Jaime. He said he's working a little late at the DX with Soda."

Two-Bit let out a taut sigh. "You're really lucky, Jaime. If your brother-"

I widened my eyes, indicating Darry and running the flat line of my hand across my throat, mouthing silently, 'Forget about it.'

"No, Jaime, I ain't gonna forget it! I can't believe-"

"Two-Bit Matthews, you said you wouldn't tell him!"

"I never said I wouldn't-"

"You wouldn't tell Steve what?" Darry asked, looking at us in the reflection of the rearview mirror.

Two-Bit and I both turned and screamed, "Nothing!"

Darry put his hand up in defense, as if to say, 'I was only asking!'

"I still can't believe you did that, Jaime. Are you drunk or something?"

"Two-Bit, I don't want to talk about it anymore, okay?"

I saw he was opening his mouth to respond, but Darry pulled the car to the curb and Pony hopped in next to Darry, and the ride was silent until he parked and the screen door slammed shut behind him.

"Jaime, we're gonna talk about it whether you like it or not. You can't avoid this anymore," Two-Bit exclaimed.

I slammed Two-Bit in the shoulder and we both toppled onto the couch, trying to wrestle the other to the ground. I had Two-Bit in a neck lock, demanding he holler uncle, when Darry threw his bag of tools off and down the hall as he stormed in. "Okay, both of you, lay off!"

We released each other, but both began screaming.

I yelled, "He spied on me at the Nightly Double and is gonna tell Steve-"

He hollered, "She threatened to tear my Johnson off if I told Steve that-"

"And I said I would tear his _balls_ off- there's a difference!"

"No there ain't!"

"I'm gonna shove my foot so far up your ass that you'll be able to tie my laces with your tongue, fucker!"

"Is that a threat, Jaime-Theresa Lynn Randle? My, oh my, you've sure as hell got me shaking in my boots!"

"Just shut your pie-hole, Keith Daniel Matthews!"

"Why don't you just-"

"SHUT IT!" Darry's muscles were so tightly clenched that he looked about to pop. Two-Bit froze and I didn't dare move. "What the hell is going on?" Two-Bit and I both opened our mouths at once, about to start over again, but Darry put both his hands up for silence. "Calmly and rationally. Jaime, go ahead."

"Well I went to the Nightly Double and Two-Bit decided to spy on me, embarrassing me in front of who I was with, and he had no right to do that," I hissed, turning to the side so my back was to him.

Darry folded his arms over his chest and furrowed his eyebrows, saying sternly, "You told me you were going by yourself."

I wrung my hands. I had forgotten that I lied. "I met some friends at the concession stand and they invited me into their car."

Darry gave an approving nod.

"That's bullshit, Jaime, and you know it," Two-Bit nearly growled. "You want to tell Darry who it was that you were with?"

I shook my head, tears welling up in my eyes.

"You want _me_ to tell him?" he asked.

I shook my head more violently.

"Well then what _do_ you want?"

I sniffed and shrugged.

Pony sat down beside me and patted my back soothingly and I leaned my head on his shoulder.

Sodapop then loped in the front door without really glancing at us. "Hey y'all. Steve and me are gonna go down to the drag race at Pine Avenue. He went to go pick up Evie and I'm gonna just change and take a shower. I should be back by twelve, Dar." With that he was about to sprint down the hall to the bathroom but saw us all out of the corner of his eye and stopped short. "What's goin' on?"

Oh fuck.

"It can't be that bad, JT," Pony said consolingly. "Just tell us. What's wrong?"

Soda sat on the couch arm, looking at Pony and me.

"I's in da buck oaf a must stink wit Ruddy Andy-ton," I mumbled so softly that I was sure no one had heard me, and it hurt twice as much to have to repeat it when Darry said he couldn't understand me and to speak up. I exploded. I threw my fists onto the cushion in front of me, knocking Pony slightly backwards. "I was in the back of a Mustang with Randy Adderson!"

Darry fell backwards into his recliner, his eyes dangerously wide and his jaw hung open. Soda simply sat there, his eyes wide and his jaw hung open as well, falling forward from the couch arm onto the cushion next to Pony. Seeing him like that drew a tear out of my eye and Pony brought me closer. Two-Bit's face was still impassible and stern. I could almost see Dally raging forward, some of the guys holding him back, screaming "You what?"

I realized that the way I worded it sounded like I had slept with him, but what would correcting myself do? Change their thoughts? Probably. Save my virgin reputation? Definitely. Yup, I ought to-

Two-Bit shoved his hands into his pockets. "She was making out with him like no tomorrow, and had her hands where they shouldn't have been, so I yelled at her to get out of the goddamn car before she did something she'd regret in the morning."

Soda held such a stricken and shocked expression that I wanted to jump into his arms, apologize, and never leave the comfort of having him next to me.

I could see by the look on Darry's face that he wasn't exactly thrilled with this news. Pony must have thought the same thing because he said, "It's her choice. Maybe he was real sweet to her or maybe she sees him differently than you guys do. I know him and he ain't a bad guy."

Their expressions had lightened, but I lifted my face out of my hands again and whispered to him, "What about Steve?"

Pony just shushed me, kissing my forehead and forcing my head back against his shoulder.

Just then, knowing my luck, Steve slammed his car door and opened the gate, Evie on his arm.

Two-Bit just grabbed the remote and put on whatever cartoon was left on. Darry followed his lead, sitting in his armchair and taking out the newspaper. Sodapop took a second to take their hinting, but he ran into the bathroom and began taking a shower. Ponyboy had me lay my head on his lap and shut my eyelids with his fingers so Steve wouldn't see my red, puffy eyes.

Steve then opened the door and started screaming for Soda to get a move on and get out the door. Steve then walked over to where I was laying and ruffled my hair. "Hey, Jamie, are you okay?" I nearly bolted upright at the realization that Steve was concerned, but he just patted my hair down. "Is the kid drunk?"

Ponyboy shook his head. "No. Just dozed off."

Steve shrugged and walked into the hallway, clapping his hands loudly. "C'mon, Sodapop!"

Soda ran out of the bathroom in a mad dash to get to his room. "I'm coming!"

"Yeah, so is Christmas!" Steve replied, going back over to where Evie was standing. I rolled onto Pony's knee.

Sodapop raced back into the living room, slipping quickly into his sneakers. "Bye, y'all," he said as he came over to me and Ponyboy. "Bye, Jamie," he said softly, kissing me on the cheek.

I stirred and sat up, but Steve was already out the door and Evie had slid into the car. I sighed and leaned against Ponyboy. The engine revved slightly before the tires squealed against the pavement. Soda was obviously driving.

Once the sound of screeching rubber faded under the barking dogs, Darry had apparently regained his grip on reality. "Have you lost your mind?" He screamed, looking directly at me. "I can't believe you would do something like that, Jamie."

Pony chuckled and pressed his palms to the sofa, making to get up. "Dar, if you're gonna give her the safe sex talk, I'm so out of here right now."

Darry was getting impatient. "Would you just shut your wise-crackin mouth for two seconds, Ponyboy?" Two-Bit, who usually stuck up for Ponyboy in Sodapop's absence, kept his mouth shut, tapping his fingers against his chest. Ponyboy sat back and I nestled my head into the nape of his neck, whimpering softly. Darry continued, "You would think that you'd have more sense than that, Jamie. I don't believe this." His head sunk into his hands.

"Darry, I'm sorry," I whispered.

He was angrier than I had ever seen him. "Well, you know what, kiddo? Sorry might not be able to cut it this time."

It took me a moment to notice that he too was glaring at the hickey on my throat. Another tear streamed down my cheek.

"Why did you lie to me, Jamie? Over that scumbag Soc, no less!" By the expression on his face, I couldn't tell whether he was upset or angry.

"Darry, I'm really sorry. I didn't mean for it to happen."

"What a familiar phrase- 'I didn't mean it,'" he said sarcastically, shooting a glare at Ponyboy. "What would have happened if Two-Bit hadn't found you, Jamie? Would you have just said 'Oh, Darry, I didn't mean it,' and expect everything to just be okay?"

I lowered my head. "No. Darry, I'm really sorry."

Darry slammed his hand so harshly on the coffee table that I jumped. "Sorry? I swear, between you and Ponyboy-"

I finished his sentence. "You don't know who uses their head less. You've told me ten million times, Darry."

"Well that was ten million and one, guess what? You still haven't gotten it yet! What the hell is wrong with you?" he hollered, kicking the leg of the coffee table in aggravation. He picked a book off the floor and threw it against the wall by the doorway. I shook, not used to Darry displaying such anger towards me. Ponyboy's eyes grew wide. Two-Bit did not seem phased in the slightest.

"Darry," Ponyboy murmured. "She apologized. What more do you want?"

Darry's jaw jutted out and he gritted his teeth, apparently ignoring or not heeding Ponyboy. "I don't know what the hell to do with you Jamie. How could you even think of having sex at all, being so young, much less having sex with that- that-"

Two-Bit held his hand up for silence. "Darry, I gave her this whole speech already." Then they both looked at me and saw how frightened I was. I shrunk into Pony's embrace and began to weep silently into his shirt. Two-Bit looked guiltily at Darry. "I think she's had enough for one night."

Darry pointed to Ponyboy and Soda's room. "Jamie, get to bed. I- I can't even look at you right now."

I got up to leave, and Ponyboy stood up to follow me. "Darry, I-" I began, but he held up his hand, falling back into his armchair. My eyes welled up with tears. I looked to Two-Bit, whose face remained unbelievably impassive. Ponyboy wrapped his arm around my shoulder and he pushed me onto the bed.

I let my tears out as my head hit the pillow. Hearing my quiet sobs, Ponyboy crawled up beside me, holding me tight. I shook my head repeatedly. "I'm sorry, Ponyboy. I'm so sorry, Pone."

He put a finger to my lips and stroked my back softly to calm me down, slinging his other arm around my waist, cradling me from behind. I was still crying, shaking awfully. Pony moved his hand from my waist and wiped my tears away. It still didn't stop my sobbing.

As Ponyboy switched off the light, I listened to Darry and Two-Bit talking in the living room.

Darry sounded awfully angry. "What is wrong with her?"

Two-Bit sounded bashful, a harsh contrast to his normal self. "Look, Dar, I didn't mean to get you mad. I just- when I found her I knew I had to do something, but didn't know what. I needed your help. Just don't be mad at her."

Darry scoffed, "How can I not be? She nearly slept with the Soc who-"

Two-Bit shushed him. "Darry, I know, it's just…" He trailed off.

"Sodapop?" Darry questioned.

"Yeah," Two-Bit replied after a moment.

Darry sighed heavily. "You did the right thing, Two-Bit." There was a long, thoughtful silence. "I just don't know what to do anymore."

They spoke more, but it all became soft murmurs to my ears, and my exhaustion from crying took over.

Once Pony heard my labored breathing and realized that I was indeed asleep, he stormed into the living room. "What the hell do you two think you're doing?" he hissed.

Darry and Two-Bit looked affronted.

"You've made her feel bad enough. She just cried herself to sleep because of you. You think you could cut her a bit of slack?"

Darry said evenly, "Ponyboy, do you understand what she's done? She's involved with the boy who nearly killed you. He's the reason why Johnny-"

Ponyboy cut Darry off. "I don't need to be reminded of the Dar. Neither does she. She got hit as bad as the rest of us with that, and you-"

"Ponyboy, she-" Two-Bit interrupted.

"This is such bullshit," Ponyboy said, rolling his eyes up to the ceiling.

"Watch your mouth, Pone," Darry said sternly.

Pony continued, "Look, it ain't none of our business, and as long as she's happy with what she's doing, you shouldn't care. She got what you said before so just don't you two dare bring it up again, got it?"

Darry and Two-Bit exchanged glances, not used to being threatened by a fifteen year old.

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Reviews make me happy and motivate me to write, so make me happy and motivate me to write! REVIEW, PEOPLE! 


	5. Contradictory Ideals

A/N: so contrary to popular belief, I have been writing. a lot. i simply have my own forums now and have been working on categories that are not yet available here.

anyways, here's a short-but-meaningful chapter of goddamn hehehe i have the next chappie written already

by the way, since i'm a mod, i just wanna let you all know that you're welcome to join the site i created with my friends for all kindas of writing- anything from creative original pieces to poetry to fanfics but for all you anime and video game fans, there isn't much of thatbut i post there a LOT more often than here and they've got a wide range of things to write about, challenges, that kind of thing. http/s14. mean a lot if you joined

enjoy. read, reply && love me.

* * *

I turned over in the bed and brushed Pony's hand away as he tried to shake me awake, moaning. "C'mon, Jamie, get up. Sodapop's gotta drive you to school."

"I ain't goin'," I mumbled into the pillow, turning my back to him.

"Jay, come on." He straddled my knees and began bouncing up and down on the mattress.

Two-Bit stomped in. "What's goin' on?"

"I ain't goin'," I repeated.

"Jamie, we ain't got time for this. It's a quarter after seven! You have to go!"

I just grabbed the top of the sheets and pulled them over my head.

Two-Bit signed, surrendering. "DARRY!"

He moved out into the kitchen where Darry was dishing out breakfast. I heard them talking lowly and knew it was about me. Darry came into Pony's room and stood at the edge of the bed with his arms folded. "Jay, get up."

"I'm not fucking going!" I yelled.

Darry yanked the blanket off of my feet and pulled it off of me. "Watch your mouth, Jamie. Now get out of bed."

"No. I'm not going!"

Darry just crossed his arms over his chest. "I don't care if you have to go there by ambulance. You're going to school."

I leaned up on my elbows. "What the hell do you care? You don't want me to go to nowhere and see him anyways!"

Who the said '_he_' was didn't need to be told. Everyone knew.  
Pony just stroked my back soothingly.

Darry's patience had worn too thin. His jaw worked in thought and eventually he just threw his arms up in frustration. "Forget it."

"Forget _you_," I seethed, grabbing up my purse and shoving on my shoes.

Ponyboy rested a hand on the small of my back, trying in vain to calm me down. They had no right to decide what I wanted to do with my life, where I went, who I dated. It was fucked up and I wasn't going to deal with it.

Then again, I had seen Darry in fact lose his temper, and I didn't want to be on the recieving end of that.

"C'mon, Pone," I whispered, and even that seemed too loud with the house so tense and quiet. "Grab your backpack- let's go."

* * *

At lunch, Ponyboy took me outside with the rest of the usual crew to sit on the bumper of Steve's car to eat lunch. I wasn't all that hungry, but I did bum a root beer and a smoke off of my brother. It's not like he'd noticed anyways. He was in the backseat necking Evie, so I jumped into the front seat and took his carton of Newports and the full bottle of root beer by the center console. I tried to get Pony's lighter out of his pocket and was able to once Curly Shepard cracked a joke and distracted him. After I'd inhaled once, Two-Bit appeared and snatched the cigarette from between my fingers.

"Hey! Two-Bit!" I whined.

He sucked on it himself. "What I tell you about smokin'?"

"Hypocrite," I snapped before snatching it back.

Steve grabbed my root beer off the side of the curb, smacked it against the side of the concrete and held the jagged end of the bottle up by my neck. "Listen ta Bits, Jay."

"Fuck off, Steve," I groaned, rolling my eyes and blowing the smoke in his face.

He growled, baring his teeth, and he folded his arms over his chest so he eagle on his arm seemed to swoop down. He then hooked that arm over Two-Bit's shoulders and pulled him to the corner to talk to him, angrily hissing to him his complaints about me, no doubt, and telling Two-Bit to fix my behavior.

Curly Shepard bumped his hip against mine and he scooted over next to me. "How's it hangin', Jaime?"

"Jus' fine, Shepard. I only got-"

He turned, not listening any longer. The Socs had came too close to our corner of the parking lot and he had begun to yell at them. We all called the upper-class teens in town "Socs" or "the Socials" (where we got the _so-shhh_ from), but Curly and his older brother Tim were now using their own choice words to taunt them as they passed.

Randy winked at me as his group passed. "After school?" he mouthed. No one else noticed, considering both sides were cursing the other out.  
I nodded and took a sip from Ponyboy's Pepsi can. Randy stuck his tongue out slightly and flickered it up and down before flashing a wide grin. I giggled, and that's when Pony's attention diverted from the Shepard gang and looked straight at us. I puckered my lips at Randy and smiled while they walked away, and Pony gave me a harsh stare that I didn't notice.

The bell rang, and after a good ten minutes, Pony and I went back to class

* * *

Two-Bit strolled into the DX in search of Jaime. Darry had left him with strict instructions to bring her straight home.

He looked into the garage where Steve was under the oily hood of a Toyota pick-up, he looked in the storage room, he looked by the pumps, and he looked in the store. Jaime was nowhere to be found.

Sodapop was the first to come into view, asleep in a chair behind the counter, his head thrown back with a light snore. "Hey Soda," Two-Bit said, giving Sodapop a gentle shake, "where's Jaime? Darry wants her home."

Sodapop's smiling face quickly turned angry, his laughing eyes dark with fury. "Jaime? Does it look like I know?"

"You might and you're just too mad to think about her."

"To think about her?" he repeated incredulously. "Why should I care?"

Two-Bit jumped on the countertop. "It looks like you care too much."  
Sodapop yanked out a car magazine from underneath the chair and shook it open to a random page with unnecessary force.

Two-Bit smirked. "If you didn't care, you wouldn't be so set on being angry now, would you?

"Shove off, Two-Bit," Sodapop growled, letting out the only reply he could think of quickly enough.

He smiled. "Did I possibly touch a nerve, Mr. Curtis? Is it true that you could be in-"

"Fuck off, Two-Bit," snarled Soda. His eyebrows were angled and his eyes glinted dangerously. "I don't want to talk about it, savvy?"

"Oh, a little anger, Soda?" Two-Bit snickered. Soda grunted and shook his magazine again. Two-Bit hopped off the counter with a smile and moved to the vending machine. "So where is she then? She left after school and said she was coming here."

Soda let out a cheap laugh. "And you believed her?"

Two-Bit slammed his fist against the machine, willing a bottle to come out. "Yeah, why wouldn't I? Where else would she go?" When he got the Coke bottle out, he began tapping it on the counter to pop off the cap.

Soda laughed again. "Three guesses, genius."

Two-Bit slammed the neck of the bottle against the counter and shattered the glass upon realization.

Randy.


	6. Eroding Façades

Disclaimer: I own Sodapop... in my dreams. Sadly, I only own Jaime. FYI- my spell check went crazy last chapter, but her name IS Jaime, not Jamie- thanks for bringing that to my attention **Who fell the lowest**

A/N: okay, so this is the worst chapter I've ever written for this story, but I have my outlines done for the next couple and they're going to be SO much better- BEAR WITH ME.

I want to thank ALLLLLLLLL my reviewers because every time I get a review it just makes my absolute DAY.

also, the hyperlink didn't work for my fanfiction site when i put it up in the other chapter- s14!invisionfree!com/unrestricted/index!php? just replace the exclamation points with periods :) fun stuff, fun stuff.

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Randy threw my backpack to the floor as we walked into his house. I was mortified. The house was…

Perfect. There was no other word for it.

The house was absolutely massive. The inside was elegant with perfectly polished staircases made of the palest oak wood imaginable. The walls and floors were so white that they would make fresh snow appear dirty, and I felt that if I left a scuff that I would destroy the entire house. China cabinets in the dining room held the most fantastic sets imaginable, and at once I felt like a princess, like I was in a castle. I felt like an unworthy peasant in the presence of a king. For Randy, this was just home.

"So," he said huskily, leading me upstairs. "What are you having trouble with in physics?"

I laughed. "What am I _not_ having trouble with? I can't understand the basics, and that is leading me to more issues once we build on those concepts. I just can't seem to get it."

He threaded his fingers between my own and brought me into his room, closing the door behind us. I sat down at a chair by a desk in the corner and he threw his bag by his closet before sitting down beside me. I crossed my leg over the other and pulled up my skirt, flashing as much thigh to him as I could. Sure, a poodle skirt may have been too much, but I always wore the same type of outfits that the Soc-y girls wore, even if I got the clothes at discount stores, just to seem like less of a greaser girl.

He looked down, trying his best to ignore it as he set the book down and opened to chapter seven. "So do you understand the basic equation: force equals mass times acceleration?"

I lowered my gaze to my folded hands, embarrassed. "No, not really."

"Okay, well the beginning element to physics is just simple algebra. Let me give you an example," he said, looking into my eyes as I looked up again. I unconsciously licked my lips and gave a small wink of my eyelashes. That did it for him, because he shut his eyes and let his head fall back slightly, then leaned forward and growled quietly. I smirked.

"Okay," he continued. "So say that you are wearing 4 pounds worth of clothes right now. If I throw you that way at 10 miles an hour, how hard will you hit my bed and how quickly will the acceleration increase once said clothes are removed?"

I giggled. "That was a disgustingly horrible line." He nodded in agreement and laughed too. I smiled as he leaned in. "But I'm giving into it anyway." Socs always had disgustingly horrible comebacks- "Why don't we just wash that grease out of your hair?" "Hey Dallas- get a job, huh? Ha ha!" "Hey, baby, what you doin with that greee-zer trash?", but when I'd stopped thinking about how low they were, Randy's tounge was already slipping into my mouth.

I stroked his cheek with a finger as I pressed my mouth to his. He was gentle at first, but then slipped his hands beneath my shirt. I inclined into his touch. He gently eased my lips apart, and I moaned, knowing what he wanted and understanding how badly I wanted it as well. I opened my mouth to him and his tongue was almost painfully insistent. I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled myself onto him so I straddled his lap. He gasped as I nipped at the skin on the nape of his neck, then traveled to the lobe of his ear and moved my hips against his in such a provocative way that he whined. He growled in protest as I pulled back, but smiled all the more when he saw I was unbuttoning my blouse. He unclasped the thin strap across my back so my chest was now exposed to his hands and eyes. I yanked off his sweater and let my palms trace over his skin, my fingers drawing up his spine. His palms worked up the inside of my thighs and he traced over my wet slit through my tights and underwear.

He lowered his head to my breasts and began groping me and sucking on the newly discovered flesh. I cried out softly and he bit on me, teasing my nubs to erection. He dug his fingertips into my hips and grasped me beneath my thighs, pulling my legs to wrap around his waist. I sighed and clung to him. He stood and walked us over to his bed, toppling me onto the mattress and continuing to watch my skin dimple to his touch. I moaned and fell limply back, reaching down to take off my skirt. I didn't care that I was in love with someone else. All I cared about was getting more of this feeling.

There was a gentle click as I unbuttoned my skirt at the top, and I wasn't sure which of us gasped. With a quick look at the door, I knew who. Randy's little sister was at the now open door and was watching us with wide eyes. When Randy saw my attention diverted, he followed my gaze to see the eight-year-old staring blankly at us. She slammed the door shut and we sighed in relief. Then she screamed, "Mom! Randy's playing nasty with a girl in his room!"

Randy jumped up and fixed his hair, quickly pulling his sweater back on. I searched for my blouse and buttoned it, pulling my hair out of its bonds so it flowed freely down and looked better than the mess it had been while it was up. He moved in close and I wiped the lipstick off of his face while stuffing my bra into the top of my backpack since I had no time to hook it back on. I refastened the button of my skirt and settled myself down in the chair and began scribbling notes on spare page of paper as Mrs. Adderson burst in.

"Randy," she said, "what is Sarah talking about?"

Randy stood up and motioned to me. "Mom, this is my girlfriend, Jaime."

I stood up. "Hi, Mrs. Adderson. It's nice to meet you." I shook her hand.

She smiled and accepted my hand. "Likewise, I'm sure."

"I came home with Randy because he promised to help me in physics."

Mrs. Adderson cocked her head to the side. "Then what was Sarah saying?"

Randy smiled. "Mom, you know Sarah's always trying to get me in trouble just because she can."

Mrs. Adderson smiled. "I guess you're right. I'll keep her downstairs while you two study."

I straightened my skirt and looked at the clock. "Actually, I'd better get going. My brother is going to be wondering where I am, since I couldn't call him before. I didn't realize the time."

"Well I'll drive you," Randy offered. It was then that I realized that he truly was only there because he wanted to get my clothes off. He didn't want me how I wanted someone else, but Randy was the only one who was interested.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. Let's go." He put his arm protectively around my waist, but when Mrs. Adderson turned her back, he was sure to give my ass a firm squeeze.

When we had gotten into his car, he leaned over in the seat and kissed me hungrily once again. I giggled as I straddled him and pressed him against the leather, throwing my backpack into the backseat. His hands fell to my chest and I moaned. He sucked at my neck and I purred, letting my head fall back. I giggled and slowed his frantic pace, taking intoxicatingly leisurely drags on his lips. When I finally pulled away, his breathing was ragged and his eyes were glazed over with lust. "I'd better get home," I said softly into his ear.

He nodded carefully. "Okay." We both knew if I stayed there any longer, we would take things too far, even though a few minutes ago it wouldn't have even crossed our minds to think twice.

When we came close to the DX, I said softly, "Just let me off here."

He moved to pull over, but questioned, "You sure?"

I nodded and reached back for my backpack.

Sodapop was out by the pumps, filling up a Volkswagen. He looked over and glared at me as I popped out of the Mustang. He quirked up his upper lip, almost snarling, when he saw me. I leaned in over the window, my hands on either side of Randy's face, pulling him in to a long and torrid kiss, whispering as I released him, "Call me later, babe."

He winked. "You know it."

I walked over to Sodapop after the Mustang had driven away, "Hey."

He shrugged his shoulder, saying very evenly, "Two-Bit was looking for you. Darry wants you home."

"Why?" I asked, straightening my skirt from behind before sitting on the asphalt.

He shrugged again and grumbled, "I didn't pay attention."

"What time are you guys getting off?"

"Seven."

"What time is it now?"

"Seven. Let's go."

"Wait a minute," I said, pulling open the door to the convienience store and rushing inside. Sodapop rolled his eyes and followed behind me.

"The hell you doin', Jaim?"

I ran to get a plastic bag and raced down to the one corner where the roadside condoms and over-the-counter pregnancy tests were kept, taking two of two different brands, and then putting the money in the cash register. "I promised Cherry I'd pick some stuff up for her," I explained.

Sodapop looked down at my backpack out on the asphalt and saw that my bra was slightly poking out from the top of it, and then he looked back to where I had taken my stash, supposedly for Cherry, and saw the label of the pregnancy tests through the thin plastic of the "DX" bag. The jagged pieces were beginning to come together in his mind, and his heart sank, as well as his eyes.

I didn't notice. "You driving?"

He rolled his eyes, grabbing his keys off the outside counter. "Yes. Now get in the truck." He slammed the door and locked up.

I heard a clicking of cowboy boots behind me. "Actually, Sodapop," he began, "I think Jaime and I would like to have a nice little chat." I cringed when I realized who it was.

"Two-B-"

He put his arm over my shoulder and his hand over my mouth in one swift swoop. "Don't worry about it, kid. You just let me do the talkin'."

I indicated my backpack. "I got homework. Darry will kill me."

Two-Bit nodded to Sodapop. "Hey tiger, take her backpack and bag home- and tell Darry I'm gonna bring her straight home. There's just some things that Miss Randle and I need to discuss."

Soda looked at my baggage with utter disgust before tossing it all haphazardly into the back of the pick-up.

Steve locked up the garage and waved me over. I looked to Two-Bit for consent and he nodded. I walked over to Steve and he folded his arms over his chest, the eagle on his upper arm bulging. "Where you been, Jaim?"

"Studying physics with my friend."

"You got money?"

"Yeah," I answered.

"You need any more?"

"No."

"Good, because I'm going out with Evie and I need some. Gimme wha'chu got."

Because our father had gotten me angry enough to walk out of the house a few days prior, he'd given me thirty dollars yesterday so that I'd forgive him, which I didn't, but I took the money anyway. I dug a couple bills from my skirt pocket. I'd barely opened my hand to reveal the cash to him when he'd snatched whatever rested on top, then getting in the car with Sodapop and speeding off. Two-Bit wrapped his arm around my shoulders. "C'mere, baby girl. We gotta talk."

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	7. Lying is the Most Fun a Girl Can Have

A/N: so since i've been on spring break, i've been watching the outsiders extended edition all week and inspiration came and all that good stuff.

Yes, the title of the chapter is a Panic! at the Disco lyric. Deal with it. don't own that shit either

**WHEN YOU REVIEW**--- please tell me what you enjoyed and what you didn't necessarily like so i can make it better and how you all want me to- _i write for you guys!_

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Disclaimer: I own the Outsiders DVDs and the book, but I don't think that counts as owning them... damn I wish I could own Sodapop but that's besides the point...

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Two-Bit's boots clicked against the sidewalk heavily and neither of us said anything. "I know that I told you I'm not happy about you being with Randy, but now I'm telling you that you're gonna end it, or I'm gonna."

"Do you know how difficult it is for me to believe that? You say this shit about every boy I've ever been with, Two-Bit! Why is Randy so different?"

"Because him and his buddies tried to kill Johnny **_and_** Ponyboy! Since when do your boyfriends take priority over your boys, Jay?"

"They haven't!"

"They clearly have if you're acting like this, JT! You lied to me _and_ to Darry."

"How did I lie to you and Darry?"

"You lied to Darry when you said you were going to the drive-in alone."

"I did!"

"Leavin' part of it out is the same as lying!" he countered. "You want me to be your bodyguard from now on and watch your every move?"

I shook my head and looked back down at the sidewalk.

"You lied to me when you told me you were going to the DX after school. I went there looking for you- no, you're at that bastard Adderson's house."

"I was at Cherry's!" I lied quickly.

"I saw you in his car driving to the DX!"

"I called him and asked him to drive me over since Cherry's Stingray is in the shop!" It was amazing how simple this _'lying' _thing had become.

For once, Two-Bit was silent.

I slowed down my frantic walking pace. "Two-Bit, I didn't even know who Bob Sheldon or Randy Adderson or Paul Holden were before now! How the hell was I supposed to know about what they did to Pony and Johnny, man? You can't keep bringing that up to me when I never knew what they'd done."

"When you found out what they'd done, you still let him flip up your skirt?"

I glared at him at the mere mention of that, but after staring him down I hissed, "He's a good guy, Two-Bit!"

Two-Bit thrust his hips back and forth so rapidly that his voice shook when he spoke. "Oh yeah, he's _really_ good, Jay."

"I don't mean like that, Two-Bit! God**damn**!"

"Oh, come on, JT, where the hell did your sense of humor go?"

"Come on, Two-Bit, don't act like that. I just wish that y'all would stop baggin' on him!"

"Jaime, I don't want you hanging out with him no more. Why don't you just hang out with your own kind like the rest of us? Steve has Evie, I had Kathy, and Sodapop had San-"

"Well, maybe I don't want to be like you guys! Maybe I'm with him because I don't want to be a greaser girl whore like everyone expects me to be and I couldn't care less about the social boundaries around here!"

He shouted back, "Maybe for once in your life you could try to listen to the ones who know what's best for you as opposed to you just wanting to do the exact opposite to get your own way!"

"Maybe I'm truly a Soc inside but I'm stuck in this life because there's no way out!"

"Maybe you should get used to it because, like it or not, this is the level you was born at and I hate to break it to you, angel, but there's no climbing up the social ladder here in Tulsa, so give it up!"

"Fuck you!" I screamed, storming off away from him.

"Jaime Theresa-Lynn Randle, get your stubborn ass back over here!"

"If you're just going to continue to insult me, my boyfriend, and the way I choose to live my life differently than the rest of you, then I don't see why I should!"

"Goddamn it, Jaime, can't you tell that we're all you've got left now?" We both stopped as he hollered, something I'd only seen him do to Socs, and it scared the shit out of me, so I didn't dare move. "After your godforsaken mother walked out on you and left you with a son of a bitch drunk of a father, can't you tell that us and your brother care about your ass and we actually want what's best for you? Hell, since you basically got no parents to give a shit about what you do, don't you think that we care about where you go in life? We want what's in your best interest, but you're so into being Little Miss Rebel, you're too damn blind too notice or give a shit yourself. Fuck, maybe it runs in your blood."

"Jesus fucking Christ, Mathews! Don't you dare go saying shit like that! If I gotta put up with your smart ass mouth one more second-"

"He ain't no good, Jay! I know him, I know his type, and he ain't no good, especially for you!"

"You're a fucking hypocrite, Keith Mathews, you know that?" I hollered as we continued down the street. "Whenever I tell you that I don't like one of your girlfriends, do you give a hang? No! I like Randy, okay? End of story! Back off!"

By this time we'd reached home- well, the Curtis house, but it was he closest thing I'd ever know to home- and I stormed up the porch stairs and slammed the door once I got inside, but Two-Bit opened it and followed in close behind. "Go ahead Jaime- continue to go down the path like you are and you're going to end up like Dallas!"

"You son of a-" I charged at him but Darry had seen part of the unfolding of the situation, hopped off his chair in the corner, and held me back. Knowing that he was right and remembering Dally at all killed me inside and I started to cry. "You son of a bitch! You dumbass son of a bitch! Fuck you! Fuck you!"

Darry held me tight. "It's okay, Jaime. It's okay. Calm down. Relax." I made to walk down the hall towards the kitchen, but Darry held me tight. I didn't care if Two-Bit was scatterbrained and didn't think before he spoke- he'd crossed the line. "Come here, Jaime. C'mere." He sat down in his chair and brought me over to sit on the arm. He'd been prepared to start at me about the state of my backpack, my purchases from the DX, and what he'd forced Sodapop to spill, but seeing how upset I was, he didn't see why it couldn't wait until morning.

I curled my hair behind my ears and wiped off the smeared mascara that had stained my cheeks.

Darry rubbed his hand soothingly against the small of my back. "Listen, Jay, I'm sorry about exploding this morning and last night. I shouldn't have done that."

I sniffed and hugged him, scooting forward off the armchair to sit on his lap to get closer and hug him more. "You okay now?"

I nodded against his shoulder and got up, walking toward the kitchen but stopping off by the bathroom, and Two-Bit followed me. "Jay, Jay, wait up."

"I just want to be left alone right now, Two-Bit. Stop."

He grabbed me by the back of my shirt and stopped me outside the doorway. "I'm just tellin' ya to be careful, baby girl. I don't trust the likes of him. That's all."

I swallowed thickly in a vain effort to hold the tears back. When they began to flow, I just looked up into the ceiling and tapped my foot on the ground, crossing my arms over my chest.

He shuffled his feet over the carpet. "It's not my decision to make. Who you are friends with and date is none of my business. I have no control over it at all."

I smiled, grabbing onto the doorknob. "You're right. You don't." I shut the door promptly in his face, leaned my back against it, and slid down to the floor.

After I got out of the shower and donned a pair of Ponyboy's boxers and one of Darry's undershirts, I walked into the living room and saw Darry lying over the arm of his chair, snoring with the newspaper open over his chest. Two-Bit was lying haphazardly at Ponyboy's feet, in a knot of limbs, no more than five feet from the television.

Instead of seeing my brother on the couch, I saw Tim Shepard with his arms over the back, watching the late night news. "Hey, Tim," I said, nodding toward him.

He nodded back. "Hiya, kid." Nothing more needed to be said. No more information wanted to be shared. I didn't really want or need to know why he was there.

Darry shot up with a quiet snort. "Jay?"

I turned around and whispered, "Yeah?"

"It's nine o'clock- how much homework do you have left?"

I shook my head. "I finished it at Cherry's house."

"All of it?"

I nodded.

"Okay- get to bed. Me and you gotta talk tomorrow early."

I furrowed my eyebrows. "Why?"

He cleared his throat and just kept his eyes locked on mine. "I don't think that you'd want everyone else to be around for this."

I bit my lip and nodded, looking toward the floor.

"You wanna stay the night, baby?"

I nodded again.

"Just be quiet- Sodapop's already asleep."

I walked over and kissed Darry on the cheek. "Goodnight."

I repeated the gesture to Tim. He smiled, but didn't look up from his newspaper once. "G'night, kid." It was only then that Darry had even noticed Tim was there.

Whenever I was at the Curtis house, I slept in the same bed as Ponyboy and Sodapop, so I went in their room where Soda was staring up at the ceiling. I walked over to the window and shivered, the breeze from the window too cold against my scantily clad body. I shut the window but it didn't help much.

Ponyboy had fallen asleep on the couch, so it was just Sodapop and me alone in the bed. I was looking out the window when I slipped under the sheets, feeling his body heat by me but not close enough that we were touching. Sodapop then turned over, now farther away, and his face was buried in his pillow.

The blinds had never shut all the way, so it was hard enough to fall asleep with he streetlights in my eyes, but the questions racing through my mind didn't help me much. "Where's Steve?" I asked quietly, turning off the lamp over Ponyboy's desk.

"Whiff Meavy."

"What?"

He lifted his head off the pillow barely a centimeter. "With Evie." Soda was startled slightly by the gentle movement of the mattress from me shivering. "Jaime, you cold?"

"Yeah," I whispered after a moment.

Sodapop turned over and spooned me, holding me around the waist into his warm body. He always would do that before, but now his touch was cold and I was really as cold as I had been. He normally stroked me gently to ease me to sleep, but now he barely moved.

Soda had always been more than my brother's best friend to me. He _was_ my best friend, and I couldn't stand him acting like this towards me. The tears poured from my eyes again. "Soda?"

He grunted. "What?"

"Please don't be mad at me," I sobbed.

He sighed, and then, eventually, "I'm not mad at you."

"Yeah, you are," I insisted, trying to not keep crying. "It's bad enough that Darry and Two-Bit already hate me for what I've done. I can't have you hate me too."

For a moment, the only noise was me crying and Tim watching the eleven o'clock news. "We dont hate you," he sighed again. "Come here." He tapped my shoulder and got me to turn over. When I did, he held my head against his chest and my tears dotted the thin white cotton of his undershirt. "We're all just upset because you're making a bad decision and you won't listen to nobody," he answered.

"But Soda-"

"Don't worry about it, Jaime. Just go to sleep now. I got work tomorrow morning." His gentle breathing against the side of my neck, although it excited me, soothed me to sleep.


End file.
